Salinas firefighters delivered more than 100 potted orchids to senior women living at Windsor Ridge and Windsor Skyline for Mother's Day on Sunday.

"It was wonderful," Vi Staples, a mother of 10, said. "To have a handsome young man put an orchid in my hands...and I got the hug, so it was great."

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It was the perfect way to start Mother's Day for Staples, she said.

"When I asked him for the hug, and he said, "Oh heck yes, I'd give it to you any way,' or something to that effect and I got a nice warm hug," Staples said.

Salinas firefighter Steven Criste said that handing out the flowers and chatting with the ladies was a fulfilling way to spend his Sunday.

"It's just something we could do to make their day for them," Criste said. "So just giving her a hug seemed to work out great."

The firefighters brightened the day for more than 100 mothers at the two retirement communities.

"Flowers are beautiful. Any time we can get them, they are a pleasure," senior resident Elizabeth Spradlee said.

But the gesture was about more than just flowers. The firefighters hope to give these moms a much-needed pat on the back. The firefighters received a gift as well, the gift of giving.

"I come into these facilities quite often for a matter of emergencies, and you see these people and a lot of times they seem lonely. Maybe they don't have someone to come and visit them on Mother's Day. Most of them don't, but the simple task of coming here and being part of this beautiful," Salinas firefighter Ernesto Valdez said.

For Staples, the day is about appreciating the gifts she said God has blessed her with: her children.

"From the youngest to the oldest, they're my heart. They're the focal point of my life," Staples said.

The Salinas Fire Department worked in coordination with the Alliance on Aging to put on the 21st year of the event.